DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Tamal Colorado
Tamal colorado encloses pork, corn masa and red recado in layered leaves tied with cibaque, then cooks the wrapped parcels in a covered pot.
About Tamal Colorado
Research draft based on the references below. These notes describe particular recipes and presentations; ingredient connections are still being reviewed.
The selected tamal colorado contains corn masa, pork and a tomato-and-chile recado with toasted seeds.
Masa is mixed with supplied cold water, salt and melted pork lard, stirred as it cooks and left to cool.
The recado ingredients are cooked, blended and strained, then fried in a separate portion of pork lard and seasoned.
Cooled masa, pork pieces, pepper strips and recado are enclosed in maxán and banana leaves, folded and tied with softened cibaque. The leaf-lined covered pot cooks for two to three hours.
The wrap is opened for service, with the leaf optionally left under the tamal on its plate. The source suggests optional juice, bread and a drink. In San Lucas Sacatepéquez community accounts, tamal colorado is the Christmas main dish.
Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz serves her separate tamal colorado recipe hot or at room temperature. The preparation above follows the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes recipe.
Ingredients in Tamal Colorado
Recorded ingredient connections, rather than a complete recipe. Explore an ingredient for more detail.
- Corn Masabase
- Porkprotein
- Tomatosauce
- Green Bell Peppersauce
- Dried Red Chili Peppersauce
- Annattoseasoning
- Garlicseasoning
- Banana Leafother
- Vegetable Oilcooking medium
- Onionseasoning
Ingredient connections awaiting review. Versions and preparation vary.
Origins & food traditions
Explore the countries and cooking traditions associated with this dish. These connections do not establish a single birthplace or limit where the dish is eaten today.
Countries
Cuisines & regions
Associations in the cited sources
These describe source-specific cultural or geographic connections. Catalogue links may still need review.
- Countries & places
- Guatemala
- Cooking traditions
- Guatemalan